Rose Parade Memories

Here it is, the very first day of 2018, and I have been doing my very favorite activity for New Years Day; watching the Rose Parade and then having my good luck black-eyed peas.

Don’t know how lucky eating the black-eyed peas are but I have had a really good life so far so maybe they do help. One thing I do know for sure, they sure do taste good with hot buttered corn bread. That is some good eating.

This year as I watched the Rose Parade I kept remembering that just 3 years ago I was sitting in the stands watching the parade in person. Seeing the Rose Parade in person had long been a dream of mine and on New Year’s Day 2015 it came true.

My sister Carolyn found a trip to California for the New Year holiday specifically for the Rose Parade. She didn’t have to do any arm twisting to get me to go with her. We had a fabulous time. In addition to the parade we toured much of the San Diego and Los Angeles area but the Rose Parade was the highlight.

Now each New Year day when I watch the parade and see it making that turn just at the beginning of the parade and see the stands along the way, I can still feel the excitement of being there. I can feel the cold of that day too, 35 degrees at the start of the parade. They said it was like the second coldest day in the history of the parade. It was still fun, the sun was out, the sky a beautiful blue and no wind. We didn’t even need the extra blankets we took from our hotel room.

An added bonus of this trip was the tour we had of some of the float barns the day before. It was amazing to see in person the floats being put together and the smell of all those flowers. So many people running here and there and never getting in each others way. Then to see these floats all in disarray one day and coming down the street in all their magnificence the next day.

Then the day after the parade we went to the park where all the floats were parked and got an up close look at all of them. All the intricate work and engineering skill that goes into just one of these floats is astounding and then to realize that there are many, many floats in this parade and they are all equally astounding.

Seeing the Rose Parade was indeed a dream come true, something to mark off my bucket list. Sometimes I think I would like to see it again and other times I think not. If I went again it may spoil the wonderful memories I have. I know from past experiences that nothing ever compares to the first time. As many times as I have visited the Rocky Mountains they are never as beautiful as the very first time I saw them. So I think I will be content to keep my Rose Parade memories intact and not take a chance of spoiling them.

I will say though if you ever get a chance to experience this parade in person, take it. You won’t regret it. To think this glorious parade of roses all started with a few horse-drawn buggies adorned with fresh flowers over a hundred years ago.

Now I think I may have a few more black-eyed peas before the day ends just to ensure my good luck for the coming year because 2018 is going to be the best for all of us. You never know, God is in everything so why not black-eyed peas?